Part Thirty: Rabbits

"Mom?" Rahab heard a voice in the mist, calling to her.

She looked around. "Who?"

"Mom," The insistent childlike voice called. "Hey!"

Rahab muttered something, as the mists cleared.

"Muth-a," chimed another voice, lower in pitch than the first one.

"Mom!"

"Momstah!"

Rahab cleared her throat. "Wha-at," she called out in annoyance, still deep in the warm folds of her down comforter. She squinted at the clock, 4:15 a.m. "Do any of you realize what time it is?"

Two heads peeked cautiously around her door. The one higher up spoke, in the deeper voice. "Uh, mom, you awake yet?"

"Do I look asleep to you?"

The face higher up broke into a dimpled grin. His two front teeth were missing, in anticipation of two new ones, which were barely poking through at nearly the same time. He bit his lower lip with a corner tooth.

"What in the world do you want, Devon," Rahab said, sighing.

The lower head interrupted Devon's hesitant answer. "Mom, there's somebody ringing the doorbell. Looks like Daddy, but I can't tell. Should we let him in?"

"No, Gaele, let me go down," Rahab said, throwing the comforter aside. "Daddy has a key, so it wouldn't be him." She tried to sound nonchalant, but her heart was hammering in her ears. It was either Don, Leo, or...

"Raph?" Rahab said after opening the door. She peered at the figure standing under the porch lights, hands deep in the pockets of a faded, threadbare trench coat.

"Uh... kinda early, I know, but I expected Mike would be up by now," he said quietly.

"Mike isn't here, he's on a business trip," Rahab said cautiously.

Raphael lowered his head as he looked at her. "Ah. Thought maybe he'd be here."

He seemed at a loss as to what to do next, until he noticed Devon and Gaele gawking up at him from beside Rahab. His eyes got a little wider as he focused on Devon.

"Why don't you come in, it's kind of chilly out here," Rahab said, shivering in her housecoat.

"Yeah, I guess I will... for a minute," Raphael said, still looking at Devon.

Rahab stared at his back as she followed him into the living room. "You want anything, Raph?"

He pressed his lips together almost in a grin. "Sure, if it's hot and black. Thanks."

She made tea for herself, and brought a steaming mug of coffee to him. She noticed Devon had perched himself on the other end of the couch from Raphael, and was studying him closely.

"Lemme see, if I guess right, you're about... eight, aren'tcha?" Raphael said.

"Nope, I'm seven," was the pert reply.

"That's what I meant. Almost eight," Raph said quickly, hiding a grin behind his cup.

"Deh-von, I get first pi-ick," Gaele sang, as she sorted through the single-serving cereal boxes on the kitchen table.

"No you're NOT," Devon retorted as he leaped up.

"Only one each, you guys," Rahab said.

"A-and, I've got the best one," Gaele said with a smirk, holding a brightly colored box over Devon's head.

"No, you DON'T," Devon said, trying to grab for it.

"Hey! It's too early in the morning, settle down," Rahab growled. She glanced at Raph, who seemed to have taken a sudden interest in the design on his coffee cup.

"Been quite a while since I've seen you," Raphael said to the cup, when the noises in the kitchen subsided.

"Yeah, I guess it has been," Rahab said in return. "And I've been kind of wondering about you."

He slowly looked up at her. "You have?"

"Sure, why not? You think I don't care?" Rahab realized she had said that a little too flippantly, but Raphael didn't seem to notice.

"I dunno, all I know is that I was wonderin' about you, " he said quietly. "Wonderin' if maybe you were happier than me."

Rahab watched him sip his cup. He seemed rougher around the edges, lately... or was he that way all along? Maybe he had been acting more refined, way back when he really cared about what she thought of him?

"I'm doing all right," she said carefully. "Though I'm not really sure what you exactly mean by happy."

He gave her a long look. "Maybe you know what I mean... or maybe I should ask," he looked at the children busily eating cereal and chattering in the kitchen, and lowered his voice to a whisper. "If uh, you're glad you divorced me."

"Ah, come on, Raph, why do you have to start in like this?"

"I'm not starting anything, Rahab," Raphael said calmly. "You know how I am, I have to say what's on my mind. I just want to know, outa personal curiosity."

"Well then, maybe you can tell me how easy it was for you to sign the papers."

Raphael scratched thoughtfully at the side of his mouth. "It wasn't. Then again it was. I dunno, don't remember much about back then. I wasn't feeling very much of anything."

"Are you feeling anything now?"

"I think so."

"Hm," Rahab said, and nodded a little. "Like... what?" she asked, looking sideways at him.

"Regret," he said softly. His pale eyes were steady on hers.

Rahab looked away. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"I still love you."

"Raph..."

He reared his head back, and smiled a little at her. "What's done is done, but that doesn't change how I feel about you, does it?" He started to say something else, but stared at something behind her, his mouth hardening into a grim line.

Rahab looked around to see Seth standing in the doorway, still rubbing sleep from his eyes.

She gestured for him to come over. "Morning, honey. Sleep okay?"

Seth didn't move or answer, he was staring solemnly at Raphael, his colorless eyes growing rounder.

When Rahab saw Raphael's icy stare was clearly meant for Seth, who looked as though he were about to cry, she immediately got up, and steered Seth toward the kitchen. She put on a show of outward calm, in spite of the heat rising to her face, as she got Seth settled at the breakfast table.

She then saw Raphael stalking toward the door, and hurried to intercept him. "I can see your feelings about others haven't changed, either," she said in a low, acid tone, as he yanked the door open.

Raphael stopped long enough to give her a long, blank look. "You don't know the half of it, sweetheart."

She followed him down the walkway, and grasped the lapel of his coat hard enough to turn him around, and face her, nearly nose to nose. "You don't look at any of my kids that way, understand?"

Raphael stood patiently as she tugged at his coat. "Are you finished?"

"No. Seth is a very sensitive little boy, and if you ever do anything to hurt him in any way..." She licked her lips to keep from spraying him with spittle. "I'll hurt you."

Raph's eyebrows went up. "Ooh. Are you threatening me?"

"You don't know a threat when you hear one, Raph?"

He laughed a little. "Oh, Jeez-zuz, but this is serious. Guess I'd better watch my back, huh?"

"It won't be your back that you'll have to watch. Just don't ever threaten Seth again."

"I don’t know what you’re talking about."

"Yes, you do. You gave him the most vicious look I've ever seen you come up with, Raph. That was just plain cowardly and cruel! I don't need any of that in my house, understand?"

"So I understand," Raphael muttered, shrugging off Rahab's hands. "Sorry I disturbed you. Won’t happen again, I can promise you that."

It wasn't until after Raphael's car disappeared down the driveway, that she felt the freezing asphalt under her bare feet. Trembling with anger and cold, she stumbled back into the house.

Seth was still sitting in his chair at the table, his box of cereal untouched. He looked up at Rahab, as she approached the table.

"Mom," he said, barely audible above the din made by his older siblings.

"What, honey," Rahab asked, as she got his bowl of cereal ready.

"Who was that?"

Rahab stopped, and looked into Seth's pale, concerned little face. "That was Raphael."

"Why did he look so mad?" Seth sucked in his lower lip.

Rahab sighed gustily, and sat on the chair next to Seth. "I don't know. He's just that way, Seth. He has a lot on his mind."

"I think he hates me," Seth said looking at his chest. "I could feel it, like... like cold air inside."

Gaele had stopped eating, and was listening intently. "Raphael is Devon's dad," she said, grinning wickedly at Devon.

"He is NOT," Devon muttered, his mouth full of cereal. Milk dribbled from his chin.

Gaele turned to face him. "Yes he is, because Mom used to be married to him."

"Gaele, that's enough," Rahab said, handing Devon a napkin.

Devon stared at Rahab, as he wiped his face. "I didn't know that."

"I told you thousand times, numbwit," Gaele retorted, and got quiet after Rahab gave her a long look.

"I wouldn't believe YOU," Devon shot back. He narrowed his eyes at his mother. "Uhm, is Raphael really my dad?"

"Yes, Devon," Rahab said, absently straightening the empty cereal boxes.

Devon turned in his seat to face her fully. "I thought Mike was my dad," he said accusingly.

"He is, hon. But Raphael brought you into this world, and he helped look after you when you were a baby, but then he left."

"Why?"

"Why don't you ask him," Rahab returned calmly.

"I don't wanna ask him, he looks like a GOON. "

Gaele giggled, and Devon looked at her and sniggered.

"Devon, you shouldn't say things like that," Rahab said. "It's disrespectful."

Devon's mouth pressed together. "Well, he DOES," he snapped. "And geez, if looks could kill, Seth woulda been DOGMEAT."

"Devon," Rahab said sharply.

Gaele sniggered, but stopped when Seth burst into tears.

Rahab stood up. "Okay that's it! You two, upstairs, and no TV this morning."

"But it's Saturday," Gaele protested.

"No TV," Rahab shot back, "And no video games!"

"But why?" Devon pushed his chair back.

"Because you both have been extremely rude this morning, and too loud, and very inconsiderate of other peoples' feelings. You both need to do a little thinking... alone in your rooms."

There was a chorus of groans, but they reluctantly complied. They knew from experience that it was fruitless to argue with their mother, and besides, Mike was due home some time that day.

"Daddy's back!" Gaele's excited voice echoed in the hallway.

Rahab got up from where she was staring at the TV set, still holding Riahna, who had fallen asleep after a long day of aimlessly running back and forth through the house. Rahab was close to falling asleep herself, until Gaele headed a stampede for the door. They dashed out into the rain without coats on, and clustered around the car that had brought Mike.

She could hear his half hearted protests about being mobbed, but the expression on his face was pleased. He grabbed up Seth who was in stocking feet, and carried him back to the shelter of the house, closely followed by Gaele and Devon.

"C'mon, guys, one at a time, huh? Sheez, outside getting soaked! Hey, babe!" He gave Rahab an affectionate peck on the cheek, and twirled a lock of Riahna's blue-white hair between finger and thumb. "She's down for the count, uh? How's it been going around here?"

"Hectic," was all Rahab could say, before being drowned out by Gaele.

"What'd you bring us, Dad? Where is it? What didja bring me?" Gaele plucked at the sleeve of Mike's overcoat.

"All right, just take it easy, will ya? It's not gonna run away," Mike exclaimed, pulling off Seth's wet socks and dropping them by the front door, before setting him down. "Geez, kiddo, you get any wetter, you're gonna melt and go down a drain... what? What?" Seth had dissolved into tears and dashed upstairs, as Mike was speaking to him. He gave Rahab a puzzled look. "What's wrong with him?"

"I'll tell you later," Rahab said, sighing gustily.

Gaele was tugging on Mike's coat, as he stood still a moment, his brow furrowed. "Daaddee!"

"Okay, okay, okay, keep your knickers on! Here, Mr. Owen's bringing in the stuff, I think you'll live if you haveta wait five more minutes." Gaele promptly sat on the bottom of the staircase, and cupped her chin in her hands. "Okay, so I'm waiting," she said grumpily.

Mike grinned at Gaele as he tipped the driver. "That's my little lady, always the patient one."

When he gave Gaele and Devon their presents, they ran upstairs to play with them, and the foyer was soon quiet enough to talk in.

Mike gazed at Rahab, and grinned sympathetically at her. "Rough week?"

"Nothing to speak of, really, until this morning." Rahab lay Riahna in the playpen near the sofa, and sat down. Mike settled next to her.

"Why this morning?" He took her hand in his.

Rahab told him of her encounter with Raphael, and what the kids had discussed. As she did so, Mike scratched his brow, looking perplexed.

"I dunno, Rahab. This has been a strange day, all around. Ever since I got in this afternoon, I've felt some pretty strange vibes. You know what? When I was coming home from the airport, I saw a great whopping load of critters on the side of the road. A bunch of them had been run over, I guess..."

"Mike, what does this have to do with Raphael and Seth?"

Mike waved her into silence. "Wait, just a minute, I'll get to that. Thing is, Owen said he's lived in L.A. all his life, and he's never seen anything like this. Bunches of rabbits, I think. Running across the highway. The car musta hit a few dozen, at least, couldn't possibly dodge 'em-"

"Mike," Rahab said again.

"But it's strange, Rahab. Don called me a couple of minutes after that, and asked how everything was going. I told him about the rabbits, and he thought that was unusual. So much, in fact, that he's coming out here to check things out. He'll probably be here in the morning. Maybe Raph has sensed something, too. Why else would he want to see me, after all these years?" Mike started to say something else, but then seemed to change his mind.

He jumped up, startling Rahab. He patted her cheek in apology. "I guess I'll go see what Seth's doing, and give him his present. I got him this really great new book about dinosaurs. Maybe that will cheer him up, uh?"

"Quite likely," Rahab cocked her head at him. "So, where's my present?" she asked, pretending to be annoyed.

Mike stared above her head a moment, a look of mischief in his eyes. "Heh... you get yours later." He touched the tip of his tongue behind his front teeth, and flounced up the stairs.

Rahab laughed at his antics, her worries forgotten. Things always seemed better when Mike was home. She turned off the lights and the TV, and carried the limp form of Riahna up to her room. As she passed Seth's room, she could hear Mike talking to him. Gaele and Devon were in Devon's room, playing a video game, while engaging in a punching match.

"Settle down in there, it's almost bedtime," Rahab said as she poked her head in a moment. "You have ten more minutes."

"'Kay, Mom," Devon said, and nudged Gaele, causing her to squeak and roll off the bed. She hit the wood floor with a resounding thud.

"For heaven's sake, Devon, why did you do that?" Rahab admonished him. "Gaele, are you all right?"

"Yeah," Gaele muttered, as she rubbed her head and glared at Devon, who shrugged and grinned apologetically.

Rahab went on to put Riahna in her bed. As she was straightening up, a series of heavy thumps vibrated through the house. Her heart leaped, and she went out of Riahna's room. "What are you kids doing now?"

They were both sitting upright on the bed, staring at her in surprise. "We weren't doing anything, Mom," Devon said, indignant.

"Mike?" Rahab went to Seth's room, Devon and Gaele trailing behind her.

"I didn't do it!" Mike sang out in response. Gaele giggled.

"That's not what I meant," Rahab said. "What do you think caused that noise?"

"I dunno, Rahab," Mike said soberly, coming to Seth's doorway.

Rahab stared at him. "Well, maybe you should go out and have a look around," she said.

Mike looked at the kids, and then back at her. "Yeah, okay... I'll do that." He headed downstairs.

When he returned, he was his usual, cheerful self. "Nothing out of place down there, quite likely a teensy little earthquake was the culprit," he said, grinning at the kids. "Time for bed, guys."

They sighed, and slowly headed to their respective rooms. Mike followed up on each of them, to make sure they were secure in bed, and then came in to join Rahab.

He sat quietly on the edge of the bed for a long time, before lying down.

"What is it," Rahab asked kindly, giving his near shoulder a gentle rub.

He rolled on his side to face her. "Rahab," he said, low. "I'm getting tired of this house."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, maybe we should move."

"Why?" Rahab sat up.

"Take it easy. I'm just tired of living here, the house is getting old, it feels crowded..."

"Crowded? A four year old, six thousand square foot house??"

"I know, I know, but I'm tired of it. Tired of the neighborhood. I want at least ten thousand square feet of floor space, and cleaner air to breathe."

"Like maybe Mojave?" Rahab smiled.

"Nah. Been there too long, too. I was thinking maybe up the coast."

"How far up the coast?"

"Maybe like Big Sur. Up on a mountaintop, overlooking the ocean, with maybe a hundred-eighty degree view of snowy white surf crashing on the rocks below, or overlooking a quiet, golden valley, speckled with live oaks."

Rahab sighed. "Oh."

They were silent in the dark, for a while. Rahab suddenly turned over, away from Mike.

"What's the matter?" She could feel Mike's hand stroking her upper back.

"What was it about those rabbits that is making Don drop everything and come down here," Rahab asked suddenly. Mike's hand fell away from her.

"Hard to explain," Mike said softly, after a moment's silence.

"You could try," Rahab urged him. She felt the bed shift ever so slightly, and turned to see Mike standing up.

He paced around the room a couple of times, then looked in her direction. "You notice there's no crickets tonight?"

"What?"

"You know, crickets. Usually they make a big racket out back, but tonight, it's quiet. It's really strange." Mike shook his head slowly, and paced around the room some more.

"Mike, stop it, you're making me nervous," Rahab said, hugging herself. "Are you sure nobody's out back?"

"Positive. It's not that, it's something... else." His voice trailed off, as he stared at her. He swallowed, and then gave her a little smile. "Nah, enough of this hoo-doo. Let's go to sleep, it's probably a just a change in the weather or something." He got into bed, and lay, staring at the ceiling.

Rahab gradually settled herself, watching Mike carefully, but her eyes soon closed.

Something made her sit bolt upright. Mike was a split second ahead of her, his eyes rolling wide as his head snapped around, looking for the cause of their alarm. The back of her neck crawled in response to an overwhelming, nameless fear that seem to take her breath away. There was no source to this terror, it seemed to be coming from every direction.

"Get the kids," Mike said in a harsh whisper. He grabbed her by one arm and leaped out of bed, half dragging her across the floor.

There was a sharp, dry sound coming from somewhere outside, like distant gunshots.

"What was that?"

"C’mon," Mike hissed, yanking harder on her.

Rahab tried to follow, but suddenly her knees buckled, as though the force of gravity had increased, and was pushing her down. In the next instant, the floor seemed to drop out from under her, as if she were in a falling elevator. She happened to see the bed and other furniture in the room leap into the air, then come down in unison. The noise became deafening, as lamps, freestanding mirrors, glass, and plant pots crashed to the floor.

She could see Mike reeling backward, but his feet stayed firm on the floor's heaving surface. He had not lost his grip on her wrist as he pulled her toward the door. The house groaned and creaked, as it slapped back and forth like a huge, beached fish. Rahab watched with horror as the balcony with all the potted plants on it, along with the sliding glass doors, dropped out of view with a thundering crash, and then the power went out.

Mike reached the door, but it wouldn't budge. He yanked on the handle, so that he could get his fingers around the edge of the jamb, and pry it open enough so they could squeeze through. Rahab saw two small figures crouched in the hallway, and she crawled toward them, to envelop them in her arms. It was too dark to see who was who, at first. She sat against one wall and braced her legs against the opposite wall of the hallway, to avoid being slammed back and forth. There was the sound of a picture window caving in, downstairs. Rahab shut her eyes tight, and fought against the terror that tried to escape her in a shriek, until everything finally shuddered to a halt.

Rahab's blood pounded in her ears in the silence that followed, broken only by the occasional crashing sounds of things still falling. She squeezed the small bodies closer, until one of them struggled.

"Mom, I can't breathe," Devon's voice complained in the darkness. Rahab absently let go of him.

"Mom?" Gaele's voice was thin with fear. "Where's Daddy?"

Rahab tried to call out, but coughed instead. She swallowed, trying to loosen her voice. Her tongue stuck against the roof of her mouth.

After a few moments, Devon scrambled to his feet. "Dad," he called, running down the hall.

"Devon, stop," Rahab cried out, finding her voice. "You don't know what's happened, it might be dangerous! Let Daddy come to us."

Devon skidded to a halt, when Mike appeared out of Riahna's room, carrying Riahna. She was strangely calm, and Rahab jumped up to reach for her. "Mike! Why isn't she crying?"

"She's okay, she's probably too scared to cry," Mike said, depositing the baby into Rahab's arms.

"Seth!" Rahab gasped, turning toward the closed door of his room.

"I'm on it," Mike muttered, pushing against the door handle. "Seth! You okay in there?" He waited, then pounded his fist on the door. "Seth!"

Rahab counted heartbeats, as she stroked Riahna's baby-fine hair. Riahna clung so tightly, Rahab could feel the circulation cutting off in her upper arms.

"Seth, if you're near the door, get back, I'm gonna open it!" Mike waited another moment, then gently pushed Gaele and Devon aside. "Watch yourselves."

A loud, rending crash made Rahab jump. Mike tore away the remains of the door, and cautiously stepped inside. Seth's bed was almost in the doorway, but it was empty. The window was gone, and a cold draft blew through the room, taking Rahab back to another time, of snow and frosty air blowing through another dark house, with broken shards of glass scattered across an upturned dining room table...

"Where'd you go, Seth," she heard Mike say. "Hey! You okay?"

Rahab sank down on the floor in the hall, fighting the urge to pass out. "What's he doing?" she asked nobody in particular.

"C'mon, little bud, there ya go, here's Mommy." She felt Mike's hand on top of her head. She could hear Seth sobbing quietly in Mike's arms.

"I think he'll be okay, Rahab," Mike said, squatting down beside her. "He crawled into the closet, and the clothes came off the rack and practically buried him."

"What do we do now?" Rahab hugged Seth and Riahna closer to her.

"Stay put, for the moment." he leaned closer to Rahab. "I'm just gonna look downstairs, and then if it's safe, we'll go down. In the meantime, keep the little ones occupied, tell them stories or something." He kissed her jaw and affectionately smoothed down her hair, then got up and headed for the staircase.

Gaele wanted to follow him. but Rahab grasped her ankle. "Stay here, honey, Daddy will be right back."

"What if the house falls down," Devon asked, leaning against the wall next to her.

"It's better to be right where we are, if it does," Rahab said, tweaking his nearest toe. "Besides, I don't think anything will fall down if you are holding it up, big guy."

A few minutes later, Mike returned, a flashlight in hand. Rahab caught the look of concern on his face before he covered it with a smile. "Guess what, guys, looks like we have a ride. I just called Uncle Don, and he said he's on his way to pick us up, in a helicopter."

"A helicopter, all right! I like riding in those," Gaele piped up.

"Cool," Devon said, and he and Gaele smacked palms in a high five. "When do we go?"

"Oh, I guess in about 15 or 20 minutes... Now," Mike held up a hand to quiet the outbursts. "What you need to do is sit tight, I'll see what I can grab up for you all to wear. No going into your rooms, too risky. Seth's looks pretty bad, no telling how the others are."

Gaele gasped. "You mean we're just gonna leave all our stuff?"

"What if people come and steal it," Devon chimed in.

"Don't worry about that, you'll see."

There were two helicopters, one brought Don, the other alighted momentarily, quickly discharging about a dozen men in dark gray uniforms, wearing protective gear, and well armed. They disappeared into the interior of the estate in groups of two, while the remaining two stationed themselves at the front gate, as a visual warning to prospective looters. The men never seemed to notice the family, they seemed too intent on their duties, setting up spotlights, and other equipment.

Don leaned out of the hatchway of the idling helicopter, and helped Gaele and Devon climb inside. Mike grabbed up Seth and guided Rahab, who was carrying Riahna, into the interior.

After Rahab saw the kids were secure, she settled into her seat, and gazed out the window, just as the helicopter lifted off. She peered out the window, catching glimpses of the house within the circles of emergency lights. She could see wide cracks in the driveway, running diagonally down its length, a gaping hole where a balcony had been, and piles of rubble strewn across the pool deck. She sighed heavily, and closed her eyes. Another house gone, and again, they were leaving with scarcely a backward glance.

Next section... Rahab 31